When former Creative Loafing Editor-in-Chief David Warner decided to feature up-and-coming Tampa bay actors and dancers in this year’s Spring Arts Issue, the idea soon expanded to include visual artists as well.
We reached out to some of the best curators in the Tampa Bay area—people whose job is to discover new artists and showcase their artwork in local art centers and museums.
Among them is Amanda Cooper, Chief Curator for the Morean Arts Center, whose “Fresh Squeezed: Emerging Artists in Florida” exhibition enters its 10th year in 2026. Cooper now receives applications from visual artists across the state and discovers exciting new talent every year…